BBH group presents study on electromobility

12.03.2019

Bluntly put, the status quo of electromobility in Germany is as follows: Everybody thinks it’s a good idea but nobody does it. A study by the BBH group now explains the reasons why the practical implementation of e-mobility concepts is slow and also looks at the main stakeholders: municipalities, energy suppliers, distribution system operators and transport companies.

“I buy an E and would like to solve.” Electrifying road traffic is not as simple as “Wheel of Fortune”. After all, the Federal Government had to admit that the objective of bringing one million electric vehicles onto Germany’s roads by 2020 will not be achieved. E-mobility, an essential component of the so-called transport transition (Verkehrswende), is not making headway despite being part of the solution to many issues that municipalities are dealing with: climate protection, air pollution control, driving bans and traffic noise.

According to Marcel Malcher (member of the managing board of BBHC) and lawyer Dr. Christian de Wyl (BBH partner), under whose guidance the study was carried out, one reason for the slow progress is the fact that the responsibilities and competences for coordinating the issues surrounding e-mobility are not clearly defined. While a public charging infrastructure must be established in order to create the necessary framework, it is just as important to formulate electromobility concepts so as to ensure the sustainable development of e-mobility at a local level. “However, the implementation requires a long-term process and a network of different stakeholders, who work together to shape the development at local level,” says Marcel Malcher. “Municipalities, energy suppliers, distribution system operators and transport companies play a key role in this regard.”

While the municipalities tend to regard their role as that of facilitators of this process, they would like to see a strong engagement of local energy suppliers as coordinators. “Therefore, it makes sense for municipal utilities to transform themselves from suppliers into one-stop-shop providers covering all municipal services of public interest,” says Dr. Christian de Wyl.

Click here to request a (German-language) copy of the study on electromobility free of charge.

The BBH group (Becker Büttner Held, Becker Büttner Held Consulting AG and invra Treuhand Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft) is a leading provider of advisory services for energy and infrastructure companies and their customers. Energy and supply companies, particularly public utilities, municipalities and local authorities, industrial companies and international groups are among its core clients. The BBH group advises these and many other companies and organisations in all legal matters and also assists them with business and strategic advice.